The 2022 Shute Shield season is less than three weeks away and after the longest off-season in history, it’s perhaps more difficult than ever to predict what to expect this season.

To help try to make sense of it all ahead of the opening weekend, we’ve put together five storylines to follow this season. 

Can Kneebone and the Crusader Way finally deliver a premiership at Woollahra?

It’s been a very long time between drinks for Eastern Suburbs. That’s something the crowd at Woollahra don’t need to be remindied of. 

The Beasties have signed former Crusaders academy coach Simon Kneebone to replace Pauli Taumoepeau this season and from all reports, Kneebone has recruited a number of Kiwis to replace a host of regular first graders who have moved overseas since last season. 

Easts will welcome back a number of Waratahs at the halfway point of the season and if Kneebone can keep his new look side in the mix until they return, Easts could be very hard to stop at the back end of the season. 

Are Gordon the real deal? 

The rise of the Gordon rugby club over the past few years has been nothing short of incredible. From cellar dwellers in 2018 to premiers in 2020, the club is well and truly back on track. 

But this year’s first grade side will look very different to the one that beat Eastwood in the 2020 grand final. 

Under new coach Billy Melrose, the Stags were able to overcome a massive roster overhaul to remain in the mix last season. 

But if they want to cement their place as regular premiership contenders, they’ll need the club’s younger players to transition from talented colts, to quality first graders. 

Can the Students rebuild from within, again

The vast majority of Sydney Uni’s first grade side from last season have taken up opportunities overseas. 

Tim Clements, Jack McCalman and Henry Clunies-Ross are the only regular senior players remaining from last year’s side, who led the competition when it was postponed. 

It’s a position Sydney Uni have been in before. But it’s hard to know how long it will take new coach Sean Hedger to rebuild his young side into premiership contenders. 

If any club can do it within a year, it’s probably Sydney Uni but Hedger still has quite a task ahead of him in the coming months. 

Where do West Harbour, Hunter and the Two Blues fit? 

If you ask any rival Shute Shield coach what to expect this season, they’ll tell you that West Harbour, Hunter and the Two Blues have been extremely busy over summer and will improve significantly this season. 

But just how quickly and just how far up the ladder will they rise?

If one or all of those sides are to finish in the top eight and feature in this year’s expanded finals series, which teams will drop out? 

Coming off such a long and busy off season, it’s going to be an incredibly interesting opening month of the season. 

Who will claim bragging rights in the Battle of the Beaches?

Warringah and Manly have both spent the past two seasons rebuilding and neither club has enjoyed watching the action from the outside in. 

The new look Rats, led by Ben Marr, showed glimpses of their potential last season but still weren’t quite the finished product, particularly when Marr was injured. 

Manly on the other hand, really struggled in 2021 and won’t want to spend another year towards the bottom of the ladder. 

Both clubs will rely on their younger players to lead the rebuild and transition into seasoned, quality first graders like many of the predecessors did before them. 

But that doesn’t just happen overnight and it will be interesting to see how both sides fare this season. 

Regardless, the two derbies will be must watch matches and arguably two of the best Saturday arvo’s this winter.